A new Oral Stories Series brings Indigenous teachings to life at KPU

The Indigenous Oral Stories Series, launched by Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s library in December, introduces a new learning approach at KPU that focuses on Indigenous story sharing.

The series will connect students at the university directly with Indigenous Elders, including KPU Elder-in-Residence Lekeyten of the Kwantlen First Nation.

Indigenous Initiatives Librarian Rachel Chong, who was the main coordinator and contributor for the series, wanted to create a storytelling series that featured Lekeyten sharing his stories at specific spots on KPU campuses during the initial stages of the project.

KPU interdisciplinary instructor and learning strategist Lee Beavington says the inspiration for the series originated during a Wild Spaces walk he was leading.

“There’s a transformer stone on the campus grounds of KPU Langley … and Rachel was on this walk with Wild Spaces and was like, ‘This would be a good place to bring Lekeyten to talk about this transformer stone,’” he says. “One of the three videos is with Lekeyten standing next to that transformer stone.”

Chong then applied for funding through the Office of Equity and Inclusive Communities’ University Diversity and Equity Committee Sponsorship to bring these stories to life and make them accessible to students, faculty, and the community.

Once funding was granted, planning for the videos began — locations were set up and a small team including Chong, Lekeyten, and KPU music instructor and videographer Gordon Cobb filmed the three inaugural videos.

Beavington helped review the videos, providing feedback and editing suggestions. After review and legal clearance, the videos were made available to students and faculty.

He hopes the videos will be used across all disciplines and that students will be able to leave the classroom and reflect on their experiences and feelings.

“My hope around this Indigenous Oral Storytelling Series is to avoid being rootless educators,” Beavington says. “There’s the potential for community-based learning happening that is rooted to a particular area or location — and I think that’s especially important right now.”

In an email statement to The Runner, Chong wrote the series will allow students to learn through oral instruction by implementing Indigenous ways of learning.

“Projects like the Indigenous Oral Stories Series, help shift narratives of learning in higher education, from classroom-based, text-based modalities typically privileged in Western education systems, to oral and land-based modalities privileged in Indigenous education systems,” she wrote.

Chong also wrote that behind the scenes, video release forms were revised, allowing the work to proceed under Article 31 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

The article states that Indigenous Peoples “have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions.”

Under UNDRIP, permission from Lekeyten is required for KPU to use the videos for educational purposes.

“[These stories are] attributed to Lekeyten and not just becoming university property that can just be shared anywhere, anytime, anyplace,” Beavington says.

For the future, Chong hopes more funding will be provided to expand the Indigenous Oral Stories Series beyond what it already is, including adding more diverse Indigenous voices to the project. 

“I hope resources like the Indigenous Oral Stories Series inspire instructors at KPU to move teaching beyond the four walls of the classroom and the pages of books, and to engage in relationships with Indigenous lands and people,” she wrote. 

For more information about the series, visit www.bit.ly/oralstories.